A Son of the Rock

I see from the club website that ex-player and manager Bertie Auld has died.

He played for us in the ‘C’ division days of 1954-55 scoring three times and again in Division 2 in 1956-57 (eight goals.) His spell as manager came in 1988 – not the most successful in our history but by no means the worst.

Bertie’s time with the Sons was not his most famous nor long-lasting football achievement. He is among that select band of immortals known as the Lisbon Lions who won the European Cup in 1967 in that annus mirabilis for Glasgow Celtic. For that alone he will be remembered in Scotland as a giant of the game.

In all as a player he won that European Cup (and had another appearance in the final in 1970,) 5 Scottish League Championships, 3 Scottish Cups and 4 Scottish League Cups. With Birmingham City he was in an Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final and won the football League Cup in 1962-3. Despite that pedigree he only ever gained three caps for Scotland (plus two more for the Scottish League.) As a manager he won the Scottish First Division twice; with Partick Thistle in 1975-6 and Hibernian in 1980-1.

His is a sad loss to Scottish football.

Robert (Bertie) Auld: 23/3/1938 – 14/11/2021. So it goes.